Folding and extension car-step.



Patented June 1, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I J. S. COXEY.

FOLDING AND EXTENSION CAR STEP.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23. I9I4.

wi tueooeo J. S. COXEY.

FOLDING AND EXTENSION CAR STEP. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23, 1914.

1,141,615. PatentedJune 1, 1915.

HE NORRIS PETERS 60., PHOT0-LITHO., WASHING TON. D. 1;.

* s rains arena ora ion,

.TAsrnn. s. coxnr, on ABERDEEN, WASHINGTON.

FOLDING AND EXTENSION CAR-STEP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1, 11%15.

Application filed June 23, 1914. Serial No. 846,833.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, JASPER S. C XEY, cit1- zen of the United States, residing at Aberdeen, in the county of Chehalis and State of lVashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding and Exten sion Car-Steps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in folding steps, and has partlcular reference to thoseknown as the extensible type which are employed especially in connection with railway cars, street cars and the like.

. provide an extensible step which may be pivotally connected to the fixed steps of a car and is equipped with operating mechanism whereby it may be'easily, quickly and con ven1ently projected to extend beyond the fixed steps and below the same, or may be drawn inwardly to a position against the lower terminal of the fixed steps.

As is wellknown, cars employed on suburban lines, as well as railway cars, are now constructed with rear platforms having not only an ordinary door, but also a drop door which constitutes a section of the platform floor and, when in closed position, forms a continuation of the platform floor and prevents the use of the steps.

A further object of my invention is, therefore, to provide for the platform of the car to which my extensible step is attached a side swinging gate and a drop door, and to operatively connect these two members with the mechanism which actuates the extensible step so that, by the'manipulation of buta single lever, the gate and door may be moved into closed position and the step drawn up into folded position, or the gate and door may be opened simlutaneously with the movementof the step into extended position.

A. still further object is to provide for the extensible step, drop door and gate at each side of the car platform an operating mechanism which. includes two independent units adapted at times to be operatively connected whereby, if desired, the extensible step may be held in folded position'and the drop door and gate moved to open position.

A further object is to construct the door, gate and step operating mechanism with such regard to proportion, number and arrangement of parts that it may be cheaply manufactured, will be efficient and durable ing rod and the block in service, and may be readily applied to the hereinafter more specifically treated, are accomplished by such means as are illustrated n the accompanying drawings, described in the following specification, and then more particularly pointed out in the claims, which are appended hereto and form a part of this application.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein there has been illustrated the preferred embodiment of this invention as it is reduced to practice, and throughout the several views of whichsimilar reference numerals designate corresponding parts, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the rear platform of a railway car, showing a pair of extensible steps of my invention accompanied by the actuating mechanism which controls not only the steps but also the drop door and gate of the platform. At the right hand side of this figure the step is shown in extended position, and the gate and door of the platform are shown in open position, while at the left hand side of this figure the gate and door are in closed position and the step is in folded position; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the rear end of a railway car, showing the side of the platform with the adjacent step in folded position; Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view illustrating the post of the gate, the rod and collar which are employed in swinging this member from open to closed position, and vice-versa, and the lever which operatively connects this rod to the step actuating mechanism; Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail perspective view of a cover or casing which is employed in bad weather for protecting the steps and the controlling mechanism from sleet, snow, rain and the like; Fig. 5 is a detail view of the lever employed in connecting the gate operating rod to the hand operating lever; Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the gate operatby which it is connected to the lever of Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is detail perspective view of the two hand levers, one of which controls the extensible step, and the other of which controls the gate and drop door.

in the embodiment of my invention shown in the accompanying drawings, the rear platform 10 of the car is provided at each side with a drop door 11 anda gate 12. It may be well to explain at this point that the invention contemplates the substitutionof a regulation door 'foreach gate 12 in case the mechanism is applied to a vestibuled plat-- form.

As previously stated, the fixed steps of each side of the platform 10 are equipped with extensible steps 13 which are con trolled by the same controlling mechanism which movesrthe drop doors -11 and gates 12 from open to closed position, or viceversa.

The drop doors .11 are, ofcourse,hinged to the rear platform beam 14: by hinges, indicated at-16. The-gates 12are mounted on posts 17 which are JOUFIHLlQCl: at the termn nals of the beam 14 and. are adapted to rotate for swinging the gates when actuated by the extensible step-controlling mechanism, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

, Each auxiliary extensible stepmember13 consists preferably of a rectangular board, althougn, if so'desired, a metal step may be employed. Each step ismount-ed on a pair i. of supporting bars 18-which are swingingly:

connected to the lower terminals ofothe fixed steps A by the links19. A pair of these links 19 isprovided for each of the bar members. 18, being pivoted at. their upper terminals between the, apertured ears 20 carried by the fixed steps, and at their lower terminals between similar cars 21 carried by. the-bars 18. It: will thus be seen that the rear terminals ofthe step supporting bars. .are firmly connected to the lower terminals of the. fixed stepsv byparallel links.

As a meansv for swmging these auxiliary step members. 13 to either extend them, as at the right, hand side of Fig. 1, or to. fold them, as at. the left-hand side of Fig. 1, I provide an operatlnglever 22 which is piv- 'oted intermediate its length on theclutch plate 23 secured to the beam 14. The lever 22 carries a-spring-actuated locking pawl 24,

' whichisengageable with the clutch plate 23' in the, usual manner, and serves to holdthe lever, in adjusted position. The lowerjterminal of each. lever 22 extends, for acorn,

siderable distancebelow the fioorof the plat- .form 10, and is pivotally connected by a link 25 and a crank arm 26 to a shaft 27, which is terminally journaled at theelbowsof a 7 pair. of L-shaped hangers. These hangers reachincludes a vertical arm 28 and a hor1-' i nzontal arm 29, the former of which isse cured to the platform and the latter of which is terminally secured to the fixed 1 stepsii. by bolts. 30,01" similar fastening devices.

1 The crank arm 26 is, ofcourse, keyed to 1' "the shaft 27, so that the swinging of: the

lever 22 -will actto rotate the shaft 27 in a fixed on the shaft 27 for rotation therewith.

direction corresponding to the r movement of the latter. In operatively connectingthe' shaft 27 to the auxiliary steps 13, I have provided. a pair of pivotally connected link members 31 and 32. The outer terminals of the link members 32 are pivotally'connected,

as at 33, to the rear terminal of the acent ,stepsupportingbar 18, while the inner ter minal of each of the link members 31 is It is necessary,- of course, to provide some means-for limiting the swinging movement of'the -links3l' and32' with-respect to each other when the auxiliary steps 13 are moved into position, as at the right hand side of Fig 1;. For-this purpose there is provided a laterally extending stop arm 3 lwhichis formed on the upper edge of the'member 32 p 7 i at its rear terminal andiisdisposed to engage in a-notch-35 formed in theupper edge of; thennember3l; adjacent the pivoted terminal thereof. It-will be seen upon reference to the right hand side of Fig. :1 that,

when theIstepisin position the pivot pin 32, whichioonneets the links 31 and 32','lies below. a line connectingthe opposite terminals of the links, so that a: weight supported by. the. step 13,: as whena passenger 1s as- V cending tothe platform, will not tend to" swing the steps'inwardly.

From the foregoing description, it-will be seen that the lever 22 may be manipulated to extend the steps 13,. or'to pull them into folded position to meet the lower terminals of the fixed steps A.

Inoperatively connecting. the levers 22 to the drop doors 1110f. the platformrand the gate members 12, so that: these members may ,be opened or closed in the; manner hereinbefore explained, I provide adisk; member 36 and;a link37. The disk36 is pivoted'ad 'jacent its ;upper edgeto a bracket 38 which members 22 are pi'votally connected to the] clutch plates.23 by the same pivot pinsv on levers 22' are of-less lengththanthe meme bers 22, however, thelr lower terminals extending to such. a point thatzthey. are ,ap-

which the members are mounted; The

proximately horizontally alined with the, 7

disk members-'36. --As will behereinafter more fully described, the lever-s22 may be operated independently of the members 22. to swing the drop doors 11 upwardly and .to open the gate members 12, while the steps l3' are retained in folded position by the-levers 22. It is, offcoursemften desirable, however,--

to move thelevers 22 and22f simultaneously, 1533' from the lower face of the platform drop so' that the gate and drop door will be opened simultaneously with the projection or retraction of the steps 13. For this purpose, I employ a latch, preferably of the type shown in detail in Fig. 5. This latch consists in a hook member a, which is attached to the upper terminal of the lever 22 by a bracket plate I). The bill of the hook is engageable in a groove 0 formed in the upper terminal of the lever 22. \Vhen the bill of the hook is engaged properly in this groove 0 it is obvious that the two levers 22 and 22 will be locked and may be swung as an en tirety.

On the inner face of the disk36 is pivoted in any'suitable manner a drop door operating rod 40, which is illustrated particularly in Fig. 2. The outer terminal of this operating rod 40 is pivoted on a pin 41 between the spaced apertured ears 42 which extend door 11 and adjacent the hinged terminal thereof. It will thus be seen that the lever 22 may be swungto oscillate the disk 36 on its pivotto project the rod 40- upwardly, with the resultant upward swinging of the platform drop door 11 into open position, in the manner disclosed particularly at the right hand side of Fig. 1.

7 As a means for operativelyconnecting the disk 36 to the post 17 of the gate, I employ a lever 43 and a vertical operating rod 44. The lever 43 is pivoted intermediate its length to a depending bracket 45. This lever 43 and operating rod 44 are shown in detail inFig. 3, and reference will now, therefore, be had to this figure. The lever 43 is, of course, formed from a length of bar metal, and is bifurcated at its inner terminal, as indicated at 46. This bifurcation 46 receives a pivot pin 47 carried by the heartshaped disk member 36. The other terminal of the lever 43 is formed with a head 48 which is insertable in the horizontal transversely extending slot 49 formed in the block 50. This head member 48 is freely received within the slot 49 so that the swinging of the lever 43, in a manner which will be hereinafter fully explained, will efl'ect either the raising or lowering of the block and the consequent upward or downward movement of the gate operating rod 44. The lower terminal of this rod 44, which is preferably square in cross-section, is received within a square socket 51 extending inwardly into the block from the upper face thereof. A

set screw 52 threaded throu h the side of the block is employed for adjustably holding the lower terminal of the rod 44 in at tachment t0 the block.

, On the upper terminal of the gate oper-, atmg rod 44 is formed an annular collar 53,

when the collar is positioned on the post 17 to extend into a serpentine slot which is formed in the post. In this connection it is desirable to explain that the post 17 is preferably formed from a metallic tube, although a solid post may be employed, if desired. The slot in which the lug 54 is arranged consists in a diagonally extending intermediate portion 55 and vertically extending terminal portions 56 and 57. The terminal portions 56 and 57 of the slot are preferably located so that they are circumferentially spaced an approximate distance of ninety degrees. It will thus be seen that, if the collar 53 moves from a position at the lower terminal of the post to a position adjacent the upper terminal thereof, the lug 54 in riding through the slot of the post will cause a ninety degree rotation of the post, thus swinging the gate from open to closed position. It will also be apparent that, if the collar is arranged adjacent the upper terminal of the post, as when the gate is in open position, a downward pull on the rod 44 will move the lug 54 through the slot, disposing it in the terminal portion 57 thereof with a consequent swinging of the gate into closed position. In order to permit the collar 53 to move freely throughout the major length of the post 17, I have spaced the inner vertical rod 59 of the gate from the post, as in Fig. 3, by connecting it to the upper and lower horizontal bar members 59 and 59' and connecting the terminals of these members to the post.

It will now be apparent that the lever 22 of either auxiliary step may be swung inwardly toward the center of the car platform to simultaneously extend the step 13, swing the drop door 11 upwardly, and swing the gate inwardly into folded position against the rail of the platform. It will also be observed that, by releasing the hook member a from engagement with the lever 22, this latter member may be employed independently of the lever 22 for opening or closing the gate and drop door while the step 13 is retained in folded position.

It has been found in practice that the various portions of the operating mechanism, being constructed as they are from metal, are liable to become rusty and, consequently, damaged in case the car is held in a yard for a considerable length of time during bad weather, and for thisreason I'have provided a protecting casing or housing which is illustrated particularly in Fig. 4. This housing consists in a rear wall 60, a pair of side walls 61 and 62, and a bottom wall 63. The rear wall 60 is provided with a vertically extending elongated slot 64 which receives the link 25 so that the vertical arms 28 of the hanger brackets which support the shaft 28 be engagedby the rear wall. Slots, indicated at 64 are also formed in the side walls 61: and 62' for the reception of the shafts27. The casing is, of course, open atoneterminalso that lt m'ay be freely applied to-bring the terminals of the sidewalls 61 and 62 into engagement with the side boards of the fixed steps A.

As a means for attaching the casing to the platform, I. provide in the. side walls the laterally extending apertured ears 6,5 and 66, and for therear walls;60 similar. members 67 and 68 which are located on opposite sides; of the $101364. 0n the upper edges of these-side wallsand on the terminal edges thereof are formed the terminally, ex-' tending flanges, indicated at 69 and70. Exe tending-outwardly from the flanges 70 are the apertured ears 71 and 72, which are adapted to be secured bybolts or similar fastening devices to the side boards of the rfiixedsteps A. One of these; casings or shields is, of course, provided for each slde ofeach pair'of steps so that-the-link membersand associated mechanism at each side .of. each step may be adequately housed; a; Thus it will be seen that,,when the car is not in use, the operating; mechanism for the steps, gate and door may be completely housed by the casing and guarded against,

the piston head and the other terminal bears against the end closure wall 7 8 of the cylinder. This spring normally tends to hold the piston head at the inner end of the cylinder, so that the steps are normally held in'folded position. It will be obvious, however, that, if compressed air is let into the inner end of the cylinder 73 through the pipe 79, the piston head 75 will-be forced outwardly against the tension of the spring, thusswinginguthe lever 22 through the medium of the member 7 6 to such position that the step 18 will be extended;

In reduction to practice, it has been found that the form of this invention illustrated in the drawings, and referred to in the 'above description as-the preferred embodiment, isthe most eflicient and practical; yet realizing that the conditions concurrent with thexadoption of this device'will necessarily, Vary, it is desirable to emphasize the fact Sur rounding the rod76 is a helical spring 77 One terminal of the spring bears against thatrvarious :minorchanges in details of construction, proportion and arrangement of partsmay be resorted to, when required,

without: sacrificing any of the advantages of thisinvention, asdefinedinthe appended V claims.

Having thus described my invention,what V I claim is: r i

l. The combination with a car platform,

of agate, adrop door, an extensible auxilgq iary step", an operating lever controlling the auxiliary step, a second operating; leverinj dependent of the firstsmentioned lever and controlling the gate and door, a pneumatic device operatively connected to the firstmentioned lever, and means whereby the first and second-mentionedlevers may be operatively connected for: consonantly ef-' fecting the extending of the steps and opening of the gate and door-prfoldingfof the steps and'closingof the gateand door;

2; The combination with a car platform,

of'a gate mounted for horizontal swinging movement, a drop door mounted for 'horizontal swinging 'movement, an extensible pivotally niou'nted step, an operating lever controlling the step, a second leverv indew pendent of the-first-mentioned lever for controlling the gate anddoor, a pivoted disk member, a link connecting the 'diskto the second-mentioned lever, a rod pivotally conf necting the door and disk, wherebyythe swinging ofthe disk in'one direction will open the door and the swinging of thedisk in the other direction will close the door, a,

vertically movable member connected to the gate and adaptedupon downward move-' ment to open the gate and upon upward movement to close the gate, and alink pivoted intermediate its length to the car platform and terminally connected to said'vertically movable. member andto the disk for operatively connectingthe gate tothe second -mentioned" lever. g

3. The combination with a car platform ofa gate mountedfor horizontal swinging movement, a. door mounted for vertical swinging movement, a. pivotally mounted extensible step, a lever, pivoted to the car platform and controlling the extensible step, a secondlever pivoted to the car platform and operatlvely connected to both the gate and door for controlling the opening and closing'of the gate and'door, s'a-idfirst and second mentioned levers being independentlyoperable, a pneumatic device operatively. connected to the first-mentioned 'lever for controlling the movement of the same, and a hook member carried vby one off the levers andengageable with the other lever whereby the levers may; be 'operatively connected, said levers-when operatively connected being adapted to be actuated by, the pneumatic device" for simultaneously, er,

tending the extensible step and opening the gate and door, or to simultaneously fold the step and close the gate and door.

4. The combination with the platform of a car, of a gate including a body portion and a post, said post being journaled for rotation in a vertical plane and being provided in its face with a serpentine groove, and means for swinging the gate, said 'means including an operating lever pivoted in the platform, a disk pivotally attached to the platform, a link freely connecting the disk and lever, a vertically movable rod, a collar carried by the upper terminal of the rod, said collar surrounding the post and being slidable thereon, a lug extending radially from the inner face of the collar, said lug being disposed within the said groove and being adapted for movement therethrough to rotate the post, and a lever connecting the operating rod and disk whereby the operating lever may be swung to move the operating rod in a vertical plane.

5. The combination with a car platform, of a gate and an operating mechanism there for, said gate including a body portion, and a vertically disposed rotatably mounted post having a serpentine facial groove, said operating mechanism including an operating lever, a collar embracing the post and slidable vertically thereon, a lug formed integrally with the collar and disposed for movement through the groove in the post, and means operatively connecting the collar and lever whereby the lever may be swung to slide the collar vertically on the post.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JASPER S. COXEY. [L. s.] Witnesses:

Ausrnw M. WADE, A. A. WADE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. C. 

